The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) held UK wide kerbside vigils on Saturday 28th April to mark the 44th Anniversary of the Abortion Act - a law allowing women to opt for legal, safe terminations. In Cardiff, they chose an area by a junction on the busy A470 near Whitchurch High School.As most people with an ounce of common sense don't think that sending human rights back to the dark ages is very progressive, it didn't take long to muster support for a counter demo. Nearly fifty of us turned up, despite SPUC's best efforts to keep the location secret. When we contacted them, we were told that it was a 'members only' vigil. It would appear, judging by Saturday's turnout, that they only have fifteen active members in the Cardiff area.
The demonstration started at 11am. The SPUCkers looked quite shocked to see us as they collected their boards which read 'Abortion - A baby can live without it' and 'Hurt by abortion? Call xxxx'. They spread themselves out thinly around all corners of the junction, and we thought it only right and good to keep them company. Some of us sang songs while others waved their placards strategically. Many of us attempted to engage in debate with them, and while a few were pleasant, their general response was aggressive. They made childish digs at our appearance, called us various names, including 'murderers', made homophobic comments, and one even threatened to push someone under a truck! I'm sure this isn't a fair representation of god-fearing, church-going Catholics as these all claimed to be.
